Tag: term

Sweden’s parliament voted on Friday to give Social Democrat leader Stefan Lofven a second term in office, ending more than four months of deadlock after a virtually tied election. Lofven agreed an historic deal with the Centre, Liberal and Green parties last week, bringing together parties from the centre-right and centre-left in order to prevent the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats from having a voice in policy.

Sweden’s parliament voted on Friday to give Social Democrat leader Stefan Lofven a second term in office, ending more than four months of deadlock after a virtually tied election.

Lofven agreed an historic deal with the Centre, Liberal and Green parties last week, bringing together parties from the centre-right and centre-left in order to prevent the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats from having a voice in policy.

The new tax law that took effect last year eliminated the so-called “marriage penalty” for many couples. For others, not so much. The term refers to paying more in taxes as a married couple than you would as two single filers. And depending on your income, the credits or deductions you use and where you live, you could still pay higher taxes by getting married. “It’s more typical for people to have a marriage bonus, but there are tax provisions that are not adjusted for marriage,” said Kyle Pome

The new tax law that took effect last year eliminated the so-called “marriage penalty” for many couples. For others, not so much.

The term refers to paying more in taxes as a married couple than you would as two single filers. And depending on your income, the credits or deductions you use and where you live, you could still pay higher taxes by getting married.

“It’s more typical for people to have a marriage bonus, but there are tax provisions that are not adjusted for marriage,” said Kyle Pomerleau, director of the Center for Quantitative Analysis at the Tax Foundation, a nonprofit think tank.

The U.K. faces yet more political turmoil Wednesday as another vote in Parliament could topple the government and leave a leadership vacuum at a crucial point in the country’s history. A vote will follow in the evening which, should the government lose, could trigger a countdown toward a General Election. The vote of no confidence is an attempt by Corbyn to trigger a new General Election which would allow him a chance at seizing power as the next leader of the U.K. Under the Fixed Term Parliamen

The U.K. faces yet more political turmoil Wednesday as another vote in Parliament could topple the government and leave a leadership vacuum at a crucial point in the country’s history.

Lawmakers will debate a motion of no confidence in Theresa May’s administration. A vote will follow in the evening which, should the government lose, could trigger a countdown toward a General Election.

The motion was tabled by the main opposition Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, who claimed the government’s Brexit deal with Europe was now dead after its overwhelming rejection by politicians on Tuesday.

The vote of no confidence is an attempt by Corbyn to trigger a new General Election which would allow him a chance at seizing power as the next leader of the U.K.

Under the Fixed Term Parliament Act of 2011, Parliament’s fixed five-year term can only be shortened in two ways.

First, if more than two thirds of the House of Commons vote to call an election — and that means 434 of the 650 lawmakers.

The second is Corbyn’s plan. If his motion of no confidence tonight is passed by a majority, there is then a 14-day period in which to pass an act of confidence in a new government. If no such vote can be passed by Parliament, a new election of the British people must be held.

Spot gold rose 0.4 percent to $1,290.84 per ounce as at 0310 GMT, heading for a fourth straight weekly gain. U.S. gold futures were up 0.3 percent at $1,290.8 per ounce. “The weaker dollar and a more dovish Fed are the two most alluring factors for gold,” said Stephen Innes, APAC trading head at OANDA. “The (gold) market is holding back a little as they are concerned the equity market could rally significantly on trade war truce,” Innes said. Palladium 0.4 percent to $1,326.75 per ounce, and was

Gold prices climbed on Friday as the dollar fell back on expectations the U.S. central bank may pause interest rates hikes if the U.S. economy slows this year, while investors awaited news on progress in the Sino-U.S. trade talks.

Spot gold rose 0.4 percent to $1,290.84 per ounce as at 0310 GMT, heading for a fourth straight weekly gain. The yellow metal is up 0.4 percent so far this week.

U.S. gold futures were up 0.3 percent at $1,290.8 per ounce.

“The weaker dollar and a more dovish Fed are the two most alluring factors for gold,” said Stephen Innes, APAC trading head at OANDA.

“There are concerns for the U.S. economy to slow down, perhaps towards the end of 2019 and into 2020, so the markets are pricing rate cuts.”

The dollar slipped against other major currencies, after having rebounded from three-month lows on Thursday following Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s comment which suggested the central bank is not done tightening monetary policy just yet.

A partial U.S. government shutdown extended into its 20th day and provided little comfort to the U.S. currency, after President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday to use emergency powers to bypass U.S. Congress to pay for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

“The (gold) market is holding back a little as they are concerned the equity market could rally significantly on trade war truce,” Innes said.

Asian equities inched up to one-month highs, but the rally’s momentum slowed partly as investors sought more clarity on whether the United States and China could make headways on their talks on trade as well as intellectual property rights.

“Once trade issues are resolved, the dollar is likely to remain suppressed, losing its appeal as a safe haven…Gold on the other hand would stand to benefit.”

Also aiding gold’s upward trend are concerns of weakening global growth, further emphasized by somber data out of Switzerland and France on Thursday.

“Gold will likely approach the short term resistance of $1,310 per ounce, from where some profit-booking can be seen,” said Religare Broking’s Sachdeva, adding that near term support can be seen at $1,275 per ounce.

Spot gold is expected to retest a resistance at $1,299 per ounce, with a good chance of breaking above this level and rising further to $1,311, according to Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao.

Palladium 0.4 percent to $1,326.75 per ounce, and was up about 2 percent for the week.

Silver climbed 0.6 percent to $15.65. However, it was poised to snap three sessions of weekly gains.

The Chinese economy is a bigger worry right now than the U.S. economy, according to an investments expert at a private bank. Still, he ultimately expressed optimism that China’s leaders will keep their economy together. “The Chinese economy is, at the moment, a bigger cause of concern right now compared to the U.S. economy,” Brill told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” Adding the tariff battle between the two largest economies just means growth will be “a bit more difficult” for Beijing, he noted. “This is s

The Chinese economy is a bigger worry right now than the U.S. economy, according to an investments expert at a private bank.

Speaking to CNBC on Friday, Felix Brill, the head of investment solutions at Liechtenstein-based VP Bank, said investors should expect more market volatility due to the ongoing trade war negotiations between Washington and Beijing. Still, he ultimately expressed optimism that China’s leaders will keep their economy together.

“The Chinese economy is, at the moment, a bigger cause of concern right now compared to the U.S. economy,” Brill told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”

He added that there are “clear signs” that China’s economy is slowing in the short term, and there may be more dragging on the nation as it looks to transition its economic model from one led by exportation to a more consumption-driven approach. Adding the tariff battle between the two largest economies just means growth will be “a bit more difficult” for Beijing, he noted.

But, Brill said, that doesn’t mean China won’t be able to push through those challenges.

“This is some cause for concern in the short term, but I’m confident that the Chinese authorities, again, will step in and implement additional measures to support the economy,” he said.

The stock market has tumbled since October when trade battles intensified and recession fears crept in. It ended 2018 with the S&P 500 losing 6 percent, wiping out all the gains earlier in the year. In January 2018, the same indicator sent a strong sell signal when investors poured record cash into equities funds, indicating the market may be overheating. The Bull & Bear indicator has proven its accuracy when it hits the “extreme bear” level — with the previous 15 buy signals since 2000, global

The stock market has tumbled since October when trade battles intensified and recession fears crept in. It ended 2018 with the S&P 500 losing 6 percent, wiping out all the gains earlier in the year. In January 2018, the same indicator sent a strong sell signal when investors poured record cash into equities funds, indicating the market may be overheating.

The Bull & Bear indicator has proven its accuracy when it hits the “extreme bear” level — with the previous 15 buy signals since 2000, global stocks turned out to return 6.1 percent on average three months later, Hartnett pointed out.

To be sure, Hartnett said this may bot be the “big low” for the markets over the long term, but for now it’s due for a bounce.

Stocks rocketed higher on Friday after a better-than-expected jobs report and rebound in tech shares like Apple, which were hit hard on Thursday because of the iPhone maker’s reduced forecast.

Everything was going right for the stock market until Oct. 3. Then everything went wrong. Up to that point, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had been up about 8 percent for the year — a solid gain if not quite as gaudy as the year before. The market traded flat that day, with little indication that there was anything that should disrupt the powerful bull run into the end of the year. Then, it happened.

Everything was going right for the stock market until Oct. 3. Then everything went wrong.

Up to that point, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had been up about 8 percent for the year — a solid gain if not quite as gaudy as the year before.

More importantly, the fundamental backdrop was solid: The economy was growing at a better than 3 percent clip, corporate profits were around their highest levels in eight years, and the Federal Reserve seemed in control of monetary policy and interest rates.

The market traded flat that day, with little indication that there was anything that should disrupt the powerful bull run into the end of the year.

Then, it happened.

In a seemingly off-the-cuff remark in a PBS interview after the market had closed, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said interest rates were “a long way” from what he considered neither stimulative nor restrictive — the central bank’s holy grail of “neutral” where it could stay put over at least the medium term.

While President Donald Trump has complained publicly about Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, what he does with his pending nominations to fill two remaining vacancies on the board will tell whether he wants to escalate his fight with the Fed. Trump has nominated former Fed staffer Nellie Liang and Carnegie Mellon economist Marvin Goodfriend, but their confirmations have been stalled in the Senate for months. Whether Trump can push out Powell, he might try to plant allies or an obvious Powell

While President Donald Trump has complained publicly about Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, what he does with his pending nominations to fill two remaining vacancies on the board will tell whether he wants to escalate his fight with the Fed.

Trump has nominated former Fed staffer Nellie Liang and Carnegie Mellon economist Marvin Goodfriend, but their confirmations have been stalled in the Senate for months. Whether Trump can push out Powell, he might try to plant allies or an obvious Powell replacement in those seats, instead.

“Near term we will be watching carefully to see whether the administration decides to dump its two struggling Fed Board nominees and replace them not with other mainstream nominees but with Trump allies or obvious candidates to replace Powell at some point in the future,” Krishna Guha, vice chairman of Evercore ISI, said in a note to clients.

Trump has been complaining for months about Fed monetary policy, claiming rising interest rates are putting a brake on his economic plans. Recent reports showed Trump privately has discussed firing Powell because of his frustration with stock market losses in recent months. Both the Dow and S&P 500 are down more than 12 percent this month — on track for their worst December performances since the Great Depression in 1931.

While debating Trump’s legal authority to dismiss the Fed chief, markets will be “sensitive to any suggestion that Trump is trying to put loyalists onto the Fed Board or trying to preposition a Powell successor who could be called on either when Powell’s term is up or perhaps sooner in the event that Trump decided at some point to try to remove Powell early after all,” Guha said.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s abrupt announcement this week that he intends to withdraw all American troops out of Syria risks dealing a serious blow to his country’s credibility as an ally and partner, former national security officials and regional experts warned. Geopolitical experts are also sounding the alarm on the state of America’s international partnerships. Trump has long opposed U.S. military involvement in Syria, and his backers view the withdrawal decision as a campaign promise kept

U.S. President Donald Trump’s abrupt announcement this week that he intends to withdraw all American troops out of Syria risks dealing a serious blow to his country’s credibility as an ally and partner, former national security officials and regional experts warned.

That decision, announced in a Twitter post, was reportedly the “breaking point” for Secretary of Defense James Mattis, who submitted his resignation letter a day later. The 68-year-old retired Marine Corps general said he was leaving the administration in part because he does not agree with Trump on a number of issues, and cited the importance of alliances.

Geopolitical experts are also sounding the alarm on the state of America’s international partnerships.

“(Trump’s Syria move) risks not only jeopardizing the near-term U.S. interest of stabilizing a key part of the Middle East, but also damaging America’s reputation for the long term,” Turkey expert Soner Cagaptay and former Defense Department and Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Dana Stroul wrote in a brief for The Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Trump has long opposed U.S. military involvement in Syria, and his backers view the withdrawal decision as a campaign promise kept. He announced the defeat the Islamic State (IS), arguing that America should no longer fight others’ battles for them.

But defense officials and lawmakers reject the assertion that IS is finished, and say that America still has commitments to allies on the ground and a reputation to uphold.

“Next time the U.S. needs to challenge an imminent terror threat somewhere in the world, we’ll presumably want to do so ‘by, with & through,’ using local partners,” wrote Charles Lister, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute and author of “The Syrian Jihad.”

Cramer Remix: If you can handle the allegations, these companies could be profitable long-term plays 9 Hours Ago | 01:08In some cases, buying shares of companies facing lawsuits can pay off if you’re patient and willing to withstand headline risk, CNBC’s Jim Cramer said Wednesday. As for Johnson & Johnson, while a loss could hurt the company, the stock has already shed more than $50 billion in market value, Cramer said. And Allergan is a wait-and-see situation for Cramer, who said that while the

Cramer Remix: If you can handle the allegations, these companies could be profitable long-term plays 9 Hours Ago | 01:08

In some cases, buying shares of companies facing lawsuits can pay off if you’re patient and willing to withstand headline risk, CNBC’s Jim Cramer said Wednesday.

Right now, there are five high-profile situations “where lawsuits are or could be front and center” for stocks, Cramer said: the Qualcomm-Apple dispute, the lawsuits facing Johnson & Johnson for alleged ties between its talc and cancer, the Malaysian government’s fraud allegations against Goldman Sachs, the District of Columbia’s recently announced case against Facebook and the potential for litigation against Allergan for selling breast implants that allegedly cause cancer.

If Apple loses the Qualcomm-Apple battle, it could have more downside, Cramer admitted. But if the iPhone maker settles with Qualcomm, the stock could bounce, the “Mad Money” host said.

As for Johnson & Johnson, while a loss could hurt the company, the stock has already shed more than $50 billion in market value, Cramer said. He suggested waiting a week and seeing if the story dies down before buying.

Goldman Sachs will likely have to settle with Malaysian authorities, but that debacle will likely end there, even if it takes months, he said.

Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica ties might hurt in the short-term as that lawsuit progresses, he added, but he didn’t think they would derail the company’s business model.

And Allergan is a wait-and-see situation for Cramer, who said that while the danger of its implants was well-known, the headline risk will be high for the foreseeable future.

“Every one of these lawsuits is a serious taint,” he acknowledged. “However, the stocks have already been hammered. It’s more headline risk going forward. But if you can handle the negative headlines and you can be very patient, I actually think you’re getting some very nice long-term buying opportunities, but the operative term — please — is, indeed, long term.”